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When we first picked it up, Cingular's Samsung SGH-S307 was a phone we wanted to like. Sleek and compact, it sports an exterior color display that flashes brightly for incoming calls. Open the phone, however, and it's another story. The cramped keys make for maddening misdials, menu navigation was harder than it should be, features were lackluster, and battery life was short. And with a price tag of $199 (with a two-year contract), it's a bit overpriced.

There's no denying the S307 is one of the smaller phones around. Measuring 3.9 by 1.7 by 0.8 inches when closed and weighing a mere 2.9 ounces, the phone easily fits into a pocket and barely feels larger than a set of keys. The 1-inch antenna was hardly noticeable, and the lack of sharp edges made for a nice feel. We liked the phone's flip design; it opened and shut with a solid click, and it felt comfortable against our ear while we were talking.

An exterior 256-color, three-line display shows the time, the date, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID (where available) with scrolling graphic. Though the screen turns off after about 15 seconds, a small flashing light (with adjustable color) above it blinks when a signal is present. When the phone is turned off, the screen also pulls double duty as a mirror. The volume button is located on the side of the S307, just below the headset jack.

The S307's size prevents the display from being especially large, but its interior 65,000-color, seven-line LCD screen (1.5 by 1.25 inches) was relatively generous, as well as clear and crisp. Menu navigation, however, took some acclimation, and the process was more difficult when compared to that of similar Nokia, Sony Ericsson, or Motorola phones. Reaching oft-used features, such as past outgoing calls, required undivided attention and as many as six clicks to get to the menu you wanted--not a great feature if you're driving or walking.

A few other gripes: The S307's small, dimly backlit buttons make menu navigation difficult. Misdials were common, especially for someone with larger fingers. The sensitive main four-way keypad is tiny as well and set too close to the menu buttons. While it provides instant access to voicemail, the calendar, messaging, and contacts, the keypad is not labeled as such, and you must remember which direction does what. Moreover, the OK button is set off to the side, instead of in the center where we would have preferred it. Instead, a button giving one-touch access to the browser sits in the middle with a clear key below it.

Kent German leads CNET's How To coverage and is the senior managing editor of CNET Magazine. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he started in San Francisco and is now based in the London office. When not at work, he's planning his next trip to Australia, going for a run, or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).
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